The present invention relates to the field of molding multiple products simultaneously. More particularly, this invention relates to the concrete molding of multiple panel-shaped products, arranged in an adjacent manner, commonly termed a mold battery.
A mold battery comprises multiple mold members having a generally vertically planar shape arranged side-by-side. By contacting one another at side sealing surfaces and a bottom sealing surface, and by providing an opening between opposing top edges, multiple mold cavities are created. This arrangement makes it convenient to pour one batch of concrete onto the top of the mold battery, filling many cavities simultaneously or nearly so.
The internal faces of a mold member can comprise a sculpted surface, meant to impart to the molded product an appearance which simulates stone, brick, or the like. The sculpted surface can be made of an elastomeric material, which aids in the release of the molded product and which seals well.
A complete mold battery assembly could comprise a base frame to support the weight of the mold members and panel products. The assembly could also comprise a means for clamping the mold members against one another, especially during the pouring of the concrete. This clamping means must thereafter disengage.
Mold batteries of prior art have comprised some means of guidance and support of the individual mold members, so that they can be aligned and brought together, and also later to separate the individual mold members to enable the cured products to be harvested. The molded products are often large, requiring the mold members to be large, strong, and heavy. Thus, it has posed a design problem to guide and manipulate the mold members. Prior art has addressed this problem by two general approaches: rotation and translation.
Some rotating prior art designs have used hinges at the lower corners, so each mold member rotates in a fashion similar to turning a page in a book. However, those methods have proved ineffective in practice, since it is nearly impossible to predict the desirable hinge location due to variables in the manufacturing of each mold member. It is a well-known problem that several small dimensional errors can accumulate to cause a large error, resulting in the misfit of some mold members. Rotating prior art designs often locate lower edges of the mold members very close to one another. This can make it difficult to remove the molded product. It is also probable that concrete remnants would drop into this lower crevice area. They are difficult to see and remove, and if not found would spoil the molding of the next product. Preparing the mold battery assembly for the next pour usually includes cleaning and spraying a mold release agent, which is made all the more difficult in the close confines of hinged mold members.
Translating prior art designs usually guide the mold members on wheels, bearings or slides along rails or tracks. Some translating prior art designs have included a means for keeping the mold members constantly vertical, such as by adding outrigger wheels or guides. Mold members which only translate must be moved a larger distance, 12 inches or more, for the worker to gain access for harvesting the molded panel product. Translating mold member designs have longer base frames and require additional movement and effort by the worker. Finally, some molded products have undercut shapes which prevent direct translation of the mold members altogether.
Every prior art design which has provided absolute guidance for mold members, has necessarily lacked the freedom of movement which might have improved the effectiveness of the sealing surfaces. For example, a hinged mold member might have a pivot point which provides a tight seal the top, but possibly a gap along the bottom. It is well known that elastomeric surfaces can move over passage of time, by creep or by taking a set. Therefore, a newly-fabricated prior art design might seal well at first, only to leak later.
The present invention satisfies the need for improved manipulation of the mold members by guiding the mold members in both rotation and translation, thereby dramatically improving access to the molded product and the cavity surfaces, and improving the effectiveness of the seal.
One objective of the present invention is to provide a rotating movement of a mold member to a definite and convenient opening angle position. This is accomplished by having a roller or pin come into contact with a stop surface.
Another objective of the present invention is to allow a mold member to translate, even while in the opening angle position. This is accomplished by moving on load-bearing wheels along rails, while rolling (the roller) or by sliding (the pin) along a stop surface.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide controlled parallel action during the translation of a mold member. More specifically, where the orientation of the mold member in a new position is substantially parallel to the orientation the mold member had at a previous position. This is accomplished by providing wheels of a substantially equal diameter, rotating in unison at each edge of the mold member.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide freedom of movement to the mold member to improve the effectiveness of the seals. This is accomplished by supporting each member on wheels, so that sealing surfaces may self-orient when one mold member is clamped to an adjacent mold member.